Victoria Mboko has given herself a shot at Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, in the fourth round of the Australian Open, after the 19-year-old prodigy held her nerve at the end of an incredibly tense tussle to close out a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 win over the 14th seed, Clara Tauson.
Mboko, seeded 17th, showed her mental toughness at the end of a quality match between two young players by playing an authoritative final set after squandering match points. The Canadian had served for the match at 5-3 in the second set before being broken to love. She then generated three match points at 5-4, but while Mboko tightened up, her Danish opponent struck the ball with total freedom to level the set, which she then won.
